<nettime> Iraq: forward, march digest [Goldhaber, De Vries, Recktenwald]

[nettime's_digest_ready_to_read <nettime@bbs.thing.net>]

     Michael H Goldhaber <mgoldh@well.com>
         Re: <nettime> Iraq: The Way Forward
     "Kimberly De Vries" <cuuixsilver@gmail.com>
         Iraq: the way forward
     Heiko Recktenwald <uzs106@uni-bonn.de>
         Re: <nettime> Iraq: The Way Forward

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From: Michael H Goldhaber <mgoldh@well.com>
Subject: Re: <nettime> Iraq: The Way Forward
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 16:35:25 -0800

Cynics don't bother to vote, because they assume their vote won't 
change anything. Then other cynics point to the low turnout.

(Last spring I was canvassing in a Berkeley farmer's market [green 
market] for a friend running for a minuscule local office; several 
people told me proudly, "we don't vote;" then, the administrator of 
the market =97held on a public street =97 officiously told me that 
political campaigning there was against the market rules, because it 
would "bother" the customers; I reminded her of free speech, and she 
suddenly  remembered other business. This in radical Berkeley!)

The political pundits assured everyone that Republicans could not 
lose control of the House or Senate because most districts had been 
gerrymandered so carefully that  only one party could possibly win in 

each. In fact, nearly an eighth of the Republican seats changed 
hands. but we still have the war, which according to the Wall Street 
Journal's poll, 70% of Americans want to pull out of. Considering 
there is no draft, so only those who foolishly enlisted earlier in 
the army are forced to fight, this widespread public opposition is 
pretty amazing.

Of greater moment, the neo-cons who earnestly have supported our 
bloated military are discredited, divided, and in many case on the 
run. The turning point may not happen, but if it doesn't it will in 
part be the fault of those who are just too cynical.

Best,
Michael

On Jan 7, 2007, at 4:36 AM, robert adrian wrote:

>> We have reached a crucial turning point in American history. The
>> November elections and current polls have made clear that Americans
>> have soured on the Iraq war, and want the troops to be withdrawn
>> rapidly.
>
> What the November elections made clear was that, of the slightly
> more than 50 percent of the electorate that bothered to vote,
> slightly more than 50 percent voted for the Democrats. Half the
> electorate either didn't give a shit one way or the other - or had
> something better to do on the day.
> I suppose its encouraging to know that about a quarter of the US
> electorate was dissatisfied with the way Bush and his rubberstamp
> congress were running things and took the trouble to say so ... but
> a "crucial turning point"?
> Hmmmm ...
>     --------------------------------------------
>     robert adrian <http://alien.mur.at/rax>

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Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:59:29 -0500
From: "Kimberly De Vries" <cuuixsilver@gmail.com>
Subject: Iraq: the way forward

> What the November elections made clear was that, of the slightly
> more than 50 percent of the electorate that bothered to vote,
> slightly more than 50 percent voted for the Democrats. Half the
> electorate either didn't give a shit one way or the other - or had
> something better to do on the day.
> I suppose its encouraging to know that about a quarter of the US
> electorate was dissatisfied with the way Bush and his rubberstamp
> congress were running things and took the trouble to say so ... but
> a "crucial turning point"?
> Hmmmm ...
>     --------------------------------------------
>     robert adrian <http://alien.mur.at/rax>

Though the numbers don't look so encouraging, I would say there has
been a shift.  For the first time a substantial number of formerly
loyal Republicans began criticizing him and it became clear that his
presence actually hampered party members running for election or
re-election.

Further, Bush has talked himself into a corner; his rhetorical victory
in setting the terms of debate about Iraq, esp. equating any
withdrawal or even revision of strategy as "cutting and running" now
comes back to bite him.  Or at least it could if any mainstream
journalists would grow a damned backbone.

So another element requiired if anyone is to learn anything is at
least one journalistic body willing to actually investigate anything
about this administration.  Unfortunately, our most reliable and
probing reporters in the last 8 years has been John Stewart on the
Daily Show, who while good, is probably reaching people who already
think Bush is an idiot.

Teachable moment, yes, but all too likely to slip by, unregarded.

Kim

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Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 17:02:59 +0100
From: Heiko Recktenwald <uzs106@uni-bonn.de>
Subject: Re: <nettime> Iraq: The Way Forward

porculus wrote:

>> If part of the reason for wars like this one is Americans' lack of
>> knowledge about the rest of the world, perhaps it will be necessary to
>> remedy that problem in order to avoid future Iraqs.
>
> rohaa, still, americanz are always good guies & when they ball up it's cause
> they dont know or are not informed..manipulated or worst it's the devil
> itself that take all his precious time for filling in their each blue eyes
> wiz opaque shit etc. if americanz cant abdicate their faith in their own
> good will. it's due to some fictionnal virtual feed back where americanz in
> movie are never bad ones. idiot sometimes, what is not a sine in front of
> god, but bad, no!

Their good will is nothing when that is all that matters.

H.

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